Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2008-09: Jason Kasdorf was a back-up goalie to Brett Gagnon on the Winnepeg Thrashers midget team that hosted Hockey Canada’s Telus Cup. Kasdorf had one start in the six-game Telus Cup tournament, a memorable 4-1 win over Quebec champion Rousseau Sports du Laval-Bourassa in which he stopped 23 of 24 shots. The Thrashers finished fourth in the Telus Cup after falling to the Calgary Buffalos in the semis and Laval-Bourassa in the third place game.

2009-10: Kasdorf appeared in 39 games for the Portage Terriers of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. He finished with a record of 19-10-5 with two shutouts and a 2.55 GAA and .911 save percentage.

2010-11: Kasdorf enjoyed a dream season with the Portage Terriers. After finishing second in the MJHL’s Sher-Wood division during the regular season, the Terriers won the MJHL’s playoff title and then defeated Saskatchewan champion La Ronge in an intense seven-game Anavet Cup series to earn a berth in the RBC Cup championship tournament. In 34 games during the regular season, Kasdorf was 24-10 with two shutouts and a 2.53 GAA and .912 save percentage. Kasdorf’s numbers improved in the post season as he allowed just 22 goals in 16 games including the MJHL and Anavet playoffs. In three games at the RBC Cup, Kasdorf was 1-1 with a 3.69 GAA and .873 save percentage. Kasdorf represented the West in the CJHL Prospects Games in December. He was ranked 10th among North American goalies by Central Scouting and was selected by the Winnepeg Jets in the 6th round (157th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft. He is committed to playing college hockey at RPI in 2012-13. Kasdorf was chosen in the sixth round, 157th overall, of the 2011 NHL Draft by the Winnipeg Jets.

2011-12: Kasdorf played for the Des Moines Buccaneers in the USHL. Appearing in a team-high 33 games he was 10-16-5 with three shutouts and had a 3.43 goals against and .894 save percentage. The Buccaneers finished with the league’s third worst record and missed the playoffs.

2012-13: Kasdorf emerged as the starter for RPI and was one of the top goalies in ECAC Hockey as a freshman. In 23 games he was 14-5-2 with 3 shutouts and had a 1.62 goals against and .935 save percentage. The surprising Engineers finished second in ECAC Hockey but did not receive a bid to the NCAA tournament after falling to seventh-place Brown in a first-round playoff series.

2013-14: Kasdorf appeared in just two games for Rensselaer as a sophomore — suffering a season-ending shoulder injury that required surgery. He was 1-1 for the Engineers with a 3.49 goals against and .786 save percentage. RPI slipped to seventh in ECAC Hockey after finishing second the previous season with Kasdorf in net and lost to Dartmouth in a preliminary series.

2014-15: Kasdorf, fully recovered from his 2013-14 injury, reclaimed the starting spot for RPI as a junior — appearing in 33 of 41 games for the Engineers. He was 11-19-2 with one shutout and had a 2.97 goals against and .902 save percentage. RPI finished ninth in ECAC Hockey; defeating Clarkson in a first round series before being swept by second-place St. Lawrence in the quarterfinals. Kasdorf stopped 33 of 34 shots in the 3-1 win over Clarkson in their decisive third game and had 33 saves in a 1-0 loss to St. Lawrence six days later. The Buffalo Sabres obtained the rights to Kasdorf in February 2015 as part of the deal that sent Evander Kane and Zach Bogosian to Buffalo from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford, Joel Armia, Brendan Lemieux, and a 2015 first round pick.

Talent Analysis

Kasdorf, a Winnipeg native, was believed to be a sentimental pick for the Jets in their first draft since re-locating from Atlanta and is the first player drafted from the Portage Terriers in 40 years (goalie Curt Ridley was selected by the Bruins in 1971). He has a strong butterfly, and at 6’4, also has the ideal size to play in the NHL.

Future

Kasdorf is in his senior season at R.P.I. in 2015-16. A late-round "hometown" pick when he was selected by the Jets in 2011 in their first draft after moving to Winnipeg, he has come a long way since then, enjoying an outstanding four-year college career with the Engineers. A legitimate NHL prospect, Kastdorf must be signed by Buffalo by August 15th or he would become an unrestricted free agent. The Sabres are deep in terms of goaltending prospects but Kasdorf would likely receive other offers if not signed by Buffalo.

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